CW Advisors LLC Invests $1.22 Million in MDU Resources Group, Inc. $MDU

Key Points

• CW Advisors LLC has taken a new stake in MDU Resources Group, purchasing 72,017 shares valued at approximately $1.2 million in the first quarter.
• MDU Resources Group has raised its quarterly dividend from $0.13 to $0.14, reflecting an annualized yield of 3.4%.
• MDU Resources recently missed earnings expectations with an EPS of $0.07, falling short of the consensus estimate of $0.13.

CW Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 72,017 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,218,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital Fund Management S.A. raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 444.6% during the first quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. now owns 138,396 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,340,000 after purchasing an additional 112,984 shares during the period. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the first quarter worth about $306,000. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group during the first quarter worth about $181,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 3.2% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,450,566 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $142,894,000 after purchasing an additional 263,572 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 21.0% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 482,293 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $8,156,000 after buying an additional 83,748 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company's stock.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 0.2%

MDU stock traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $16.42. The company had a trading volume of 1,474,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,812,894. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.79. The company has a market capitalization of $3.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.73. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.91 and a 52 week high of $30.52.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $351.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $315.67 million. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 8.25% and a return on equity of 8.29%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.32 earnings per share. MDU Resources Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.880-0.950 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 11th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. This is a positive change from MDU Resources Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 11th. MDU Resources Group's dividend payout ratio is 49.06%.

Insider Activity at MDU Resources Group

In other MDU Resources Group news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer bought 5,000 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.27 per share, for a total transaction of $81,350.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 339,548 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,524,445.96. The trade was a 1.49% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.94% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded MDU Resources Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $18.00.

MDU Resources Group Company Profile

MDU Resources Group, Inc engages in the regulated energy delivery, and construction materials and services businesses in the United States. It operates through four segments: Electric, Natural Gas Distribution, Pipeline, and Construction Services. The Electric segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity for residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming; and operates 3,400 miles of transmission lines, 4,800 miles of distribution lines, and 82 transmission and 298 distribution substations.